BRADY'S BUNCH

Probably unfair but that first week of operation for the new Denver airport I was hearing business fliers saying, "Avoid Denver!" with one arriving flight taxiing 40 minutes waiting for an open gate. And that day, it wasn't snowing.

Elle has a new beauty-fitness director, Jean Godfrey-June, who replaces the recently promoted Bayly Ledes.

Woman's Day has two new associate ad directors, Laura Klein and Carolyn Bekkedahl.

Bit of tension on the MacNeil/Lehrer hour? Paul Gigot referred to the Senate Foreign Relations committee as "Foreign Affairs!" getting me smartly up out of my chair, you can be sure. Mark Shields was nearly beside himself waiting for his turn to correct Paul, who seemed hurt. But for God's sake, Paul, senators have relations; congressmen, affairs.

Lynn Povich, editor of Working Woman, informs me the fourth World Conference on Women will be held this Sept. 4 to 15 in Beijing. What with China's civil rights record, you wonder why.

Nice note from Doria Steedman who spoke at the recent memorial for Mike Elliot. Lots of industry types showed, apparently.

Sorry about that. Melanie Wells left Ad Age to join USA Today as a reporter covering advertising and marketing.

I'm sure it's a fine product but can anyone really believe those goody-two-shoes actors in the Ensure commercials?

That long-awaited test issue of Your Money, the Money mag spinoff for "the under-40 set," hit my desk. They're going with a 150,000 nationwide rate base for the test and will let us know how it does.

The Ad Women of NY "roast" of Helen Gurley Brown tomorrow (21) over lunch at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Manhattan. Phil Guarascio of GM is emcee with lots of heavy hitters on the committee, led off by Frank Bennack of Hearst along with Bubbles Sills, Brooke Shields, Liz Smith, Leonard Lauder, Joan Rivers, Babs Walters and like that.

Jim Gallagher tells me his Gallagher Group is about to break with some brand new Susan Lucci commercials for the Ford Dealers.

New York radio station WQXR, the classical music outlet, just released its eighth annual listener poll. Top singers, in this order: Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Cecilia Bartoli, Kiri Te Kanawa, Callas.

Can't believe it! Elle Decor is 5 years old. They'll celebrate March 29 on the east balcony of Grand Central terminal in midtown Manhattan.

Cyndi Ehrlich left Nike in Chicago to join Inside Sports mag as director of communications.

Terry Russell says for the first four months of this year ad pages are 20% ahead of '94 for Automobile Magazine.

Dept. of Lousy Timing: Just got a press kit from National Packtime in St. Louis offering a brand new set of baseball cards, featuring "18 of today's greatest players," all of whom, one assumes, are on strike.

Jack Carroll sends along a poster popping up around Manhattan offering cheap air fares (Europe $169!) from an outfit called Air Tech Ltd. with an 800-number and the challenge, "If you can beat these prices start your own damn airline."

Snow Country magazine ad pages were up 16% in the first quarter over last year to a total of 163 pages.

Ellen Ryder opened her own PR shop at 366 W. 11th Street in Manhattan, (212) 691-0681. She's a mag industry vet who's worked for GQ, Harper's and New England Monthly.

Le Perigord, the elegant Manhattan restaurant between Sutton and Beekman places, is now staying open Sundays, 5 p.m. to 10:30 or so. But when does Georges, the co-owner, get to his place at Montauk?

In the Buick Riviera commercial former Notre Dame coach Digger Phelps goes on so about the car you expect him to start rending his garments in excitement.

Re baseball, who would have thought a bunch of toothless Canadian hockey players were smarter than the Lords of America's "pastime"?